Soccer, also known as football in most countries outside North America, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players each. The objective of the game is to score goals by getting a ball into the opposing team’s net, using primarily the feet, but also the head and body, except for the hands and arms (with the exception of the goalkeepers). The game is played on a rectangular field known as a pitch, with a goal at each end.
Soccer is governed by a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game, established by the International Football Association Board (IFAB). The sport is played professionally and recreationally around the world and is one of the most popular sports globally, with a vast following and numerous prestigious competitions, including the FIFA World Cup and various national leagues. The simplicity of the game, combined with its global reach, contributes to its status as a cultural phenomenon and a unifying force across diverse populations.
Tokyo Verdy's season started with a narrow 0-1 defeat to Shimizu S-Pulse at Japan's National Stadium, marking their second consecutive opening game loss at this venue. Yu An Matsuhashi, wearing…